TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Saad Hariri, son and anointed heir of slain former premier Saad Hariri, stressed Thursday that the final round of the general elections would determine whether real change comes to Lebanon.
"This is a crucial stage because the results of the vote in northern Lebanon will decide the new distribution of political forces in parliament," Hariri told AFP in an interview.
"This is a decisive battle for change in which we are the flag-bearers, against the control of (Lebanese and Syrian) security services influencing the country's fate," he said, while campaigning in Tripoli, the main city in northern Lebanon.
Lebanon's four-stage election is the first since Syria, after a 29-year military presence, withdrew its troops and security agents in April in the face of local and international pressure following Rafiq Hariri's murder in February.
In the final round on Sunday, Hariri's anti-Syrian coalition will face off candidates led by Suleiman Franjieh, a close friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for the last 28 seats up for grabs in the 128-member parliament.
Franjieh forged an alliance with firebrand Christian leader Michel Aoun who in a surprise comeback won 23 seats in the third round of polls against Hariri's coalition which includes Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
At a campaign rally in Tripoli later Thursday, Hariri told tens of thousands of cheering supporters: "Your vote is decisive on Sunday."
"Either northern Lebanon will be victorious and it will be the victory of March 14 to continue on our project to liberate Lebanon or it will be the victory of February 14 and that of the police regime," he said.
He was referring to a one-million-strong march held a month after his father was murdered on February 14, a demonstration that helped drive Syria to withdraw its forces.
In contrast, very few people took to the streets in support of Hariri's opponents, among them Franjieh.
As things stand, Hariri's anti-Syrian opposition coalition has won 46 seats, the alliance between the Shiite militia Hezbollah and its former rival Amal has snatched 33 seats and Aoun 21.
Should Hariri's coalition win on Sunday, the 35-year-old businessman turned politician could become prime minister.
In line with Lebanon multi-confessional political system, the premier's office is earmarked for a Sunni Muslim, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian and the parliament speaker comes from the Shiite Muslim community.
Hariri said in his interview that he would work for "total change, in favor of reforms and national unity which we witnessed at the March 14 demonstration."
"The battle waged on March 14 that led to the Syrian army's withdrawal (on April 26) and the beginning of the dismantling of (Syria's) security services launched the battle for democracy."
Hariri, who took over part of his father multi-billion empire, said he favored coexistence between Lebanon's Muslims and its large Christian minority.
"We're attached to Lebanon as the definite homeland of every Lebanese, whether they be Muslim or Christian, tied by a true, total and equitable partnership ... and with Patriarch Sfeir." That was a reference to ant-Syrian Nasrallah Sfeir, head of the Maronite church.
Hariri ruled out cooperating with Franjieh, who was interior minister when his father was assassinated, but said "every option is open" to work with Aoun.
"We must agree on our fight against corruption, our projects of economic reform and development and on national reconciliation," he said.
Aoun told AFP on Wednesday that he was ready to work with the opposition, especially to help shorten the mandate of the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
The opposition is seeking to topple Lahoud, whose mandate was prolonged for three years after Damascus insisted last September that the constitution be amended.
The decision can only be reversed if two-thirds of MPs vote for a new amendment to the constitution.
06/16/2005 18:47 GMT